fricking hop leaf eating caterpillars

gremlin · May 28, 2012

so how do i kill those little damned leaf eating caterpillars? i'm sick off picking them off one by one with tweezers. is there any chemical i can use now to kill them before the actual hops start growing? they are chewing holes in the leaves already.

and don't get me started on japanese beetles... i'll have to deal with those ******** in a month or so.

Cranios · May 29, 2012

get some food grade diatomaceous earth from Amazon and sprinkle it on the leaves once in a while. Totally toxic to bugs but totally nontoxic to humans. DON'T use the type that is sold for swimming pools, it won't work and it actually IS toxic. Thanks and good luck.

gremlin · May 29, 2012

will this work if the caterpillars are always on the bottom side of the leaf?

Stevo2569 · May 30, 2012

Cranios said:
get some food grade diatomaceous earth from Amazon and sprinkle it on the leaves once in a while. Totally toxic to bugs but totally nontoxic to humans. DON'T use the type that is sold for swimming pools, it won't work and it actually IS toxic. Thanks and good luck.

+1. I use a pringles can shaker. TSC sells it 10 lb for $12.

mthompson · May 30, 2012

Bonide Garden Dust, mixed as a spray in a garden sprayer.....shoot directly on caterpillars you see and mist the whole plant. Bonide also makes a BT insecticide that is specific to caterpillars and "worms", so it won't kill everything like the Garden Dust will. I've always found aphids and caterpillars, so I use the garden dust. A couple treatments in the beginning/middle of the season and they are usually good through harvest.

soberJim · May 30, 2012

Pyrethrum spray.. thatll get rid of aphids and unwanted pests, plus i think it isnt dangerous at all if you dont spray in the 24 hours before picking your harvest.

Pilgarlic · May 30, 2012

Are these caterpillars doing anything other than cosmetic damage, really? Caterpillars have to eat alot of foliage before really affecting the health of a plant. I know that many feel that anything that is eating anything they are cultivating must be killed, but there is a rational treatment threshold for most pests, and it's not "as soon as I see it". I don't know your experience level with gardening or agriculture, or what you're seeing in terms of damage, but it may be that the best thing to do is nothing.